海角大神

Welcome to a new week.

Congress took a key step late Sunday toward ending the U.S. government shutdown, with seven Democrats breaking ranks with their party. On the shutdown鈥檚 40th day, they joined Republicans and Maine independent Sen. Angus King in a 60-40 procedural vote that clears the way for a subsequent vote on legislation that would fund most federal agencies through January and pay back wages to federal workers.

Many Democrats were upset that their colleagues agreed to a compromise without securing guarantees that health care subsidies would be extended past the end of this year 鈥� a key Democratic demand. If the bill gets 60 votes in the Senate, it will go back to the House, where Republicans hold a razor-thin majority.聽